AndrewSmith

Thank you for your reply - maybe others should take note on how to reply without being condescending! The tone of some other comments were very offputting for a new poster........ I am all too well aware of Metcheck's limitations: I have watched them, along with other sites, for so long it is hard to remember a time before! So I am under no illusions. BUT.... Once before, I noted a similar change of patten like this. At the time no one else did among the sites that I watched. That was in October 2009. The change of pattern then was colder than this, but still it is worth noting. Of course it could disappear tomorrow, but I prefer to look for positive signs, and hope, rather than prematurely wring my hands! Time enough for that when the reality is upon us. I posted this - and I should have made this clear - in response to the prevailing tone of gloom in this thread. Maybe, just maybe, Metcheck might have it right again. I frmly stand by my view that everything is still to play for!

I'm drawn to the Metcheck GFS025 six-month forecasts. In my neck of the woods, (Inverness) these are increasingly wintry from late November onwards, with snow symbols appearing from 24th November, and predominating right through to March! Whilst of course these forecasts are not for the likes of me to take seriously, the trend shown is a much colder and snowier one than over the last few years. So it would seem that there is still everything to play for!

Thank you to all of you who have posted forecasts/opinions here - always good to read. But let's not forget that we'll be changing/refining our views of winter right up to the time that next years's daffaodil's appear! So my question for all of you is - what are you all looking forward to to refine your views? What statistics/predictions/data mark do you eagerly anticipate? Any slow build ups that you carefully check? Whose forecasts make your hearts beat faster? Can we do a top ten (or 20/50/etc?) on our countdown to winter?